Amistad 313Aft er two months of a northerly zigzag course and pushed
along by weather and current, the Amistad made landfall
on the coast of Long Island, New York.
On the morning of August 26, 1839, several of the
Amistad’s Africans came upon Montauk Point, Long Is-
land, seeking to trade for food and water. Th ey encountered
Henry Green, an American sea captain, and his compan-
ions hunting birds. Despite a language barrier, the Africans
enlisted the Americans’ help, off ering them the ship’s gold
in exchange for provisions for a transatlantic return to West
Africa. As the Africans and the Americans attempted to
board the Amistad, the U.S. Coast Guard brig Washington
intercepted them, boarded the Amistad at gunpoint, and
towed the vessel to New Haven, Connecticut. Sengbe at-
tempted to swim to shore but was recaptured.
Th e events surrounding the Amistad incited a variety
of legal actions. Th e commander of the Washington, Lt.
Th omas Gedney, attempted to claim the salvage rights of
the Amistad’s valuable cargo of gold, silk, wine, and saddles;
his claim included the Mende captives as well. Th e Amistad
Spaniards, Montes and Ruiz, fi led criminal charges of pi-
racy and murder against the Africans and claimed them as
property. Th e Spanish ambassador insisted that the Unitedinitiated Christian missionary activity in West Africa, and
focused international attention on the issue of universal
civil rights.
While traveling between the Cuban ports of Havana
and Puerto Principe, Mende-speaking captives overpow-
ered the crew of the Amistad. Th e crew included fi ve Span-
iards, a mulatto cook, and a black cabin boy. On the third
night of the voyage, the leader of the uprising, Sengbe
Pieh, who would become known to Americans as Joseph
Cinque, freed himself and others from their irons with a
nail he found on the ship’s deck. Sengbe and fellow captive
Grabeau armed the Africans with sugar cane knives. Th e
ship’s cook, who had taunted the captives, insinuating they
would be eaten upon their arrival in Puerto Principe, was
killed immediately, and the ship’s captain was slain shortly
thereaft er. Ten of the Mende were killed during the upris-
ing. Two crewmen fl ed via the stern boat. Th e cabin boy, a
teenager named Antonio, was spared. Two injured Span-
iards, Pedro Montes and Jose Ruiz, surrendered. Ruiz and
Montes were kept as hostages to help the Africans navigate
the ship back to their homeland. During the day, Montes
sailed east toward Africa; at night he subtly reversed the
ship’s course, hoping to make landfall in North America.
Africans aboard the Amistad kill Captain Ferrer. Th e captives that survived the revolt won their case in the U.S. Supreme Court and re-
turned to Africa as free men. (Barber, John W. A History of the Amistad Captives, 1840)